Why is this concerning? How has the new COVID strain become the most common form of the virus in a matter
Hours after United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the new strain of coronavirus spreading in the country is 70 percent more infectious than the original, a growing list of European countries have started to close their borders with the country.
Why is this concerning? How has the new strain become the most common form of the virus in a matter of months?
Amid growing fears, and outrage over ‘cancelling’ Christmas, here’s what we know about the new variant of COVID-19.
Why is the new strain concerning?
The new strain is named VUI-202012/01 (the first “Variant Under Investigation” in December 2020) and is defined by a set of 17 changes or mutations. Changes in this part of spike protein may, in theory, result in the virus becoming more infectious and spreading more easily between people.
According to a BBC report, three factors are causing concern over the new variant of COVID-19:
- It is said to spread faster than the other versions – 70 percent more infectious
- It is the most common version of the virus in the UK
- There have been changes to the spike protein of the virus, which plays a key role in unlocking the doorway to the body’s cells
Does this mean the variant is more dangerous?
There is no evidence to support this yet. However, the increase in rate of transmission means more people could get infected than before and this leads to an added burden on an already strained healthcare system, with more people needing hospital treatment.
Susan Hopkins, joint medical adviser for NHS Test and Trace and Public Health England, said:
How common is this variant?
It is believed to have been first detected in September. By November, around a quarter of cases in London were of the new variant. However, by mid December, nearly two-thirds of cases in London were of the new virus.
Over the last one week, the number of cases in London doubled, with at least 60 percent of the infections being from this strain.
How was it detected?
The new strain was picked up by the COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) consortium, which undertakes random genetic sequencing of positive coronavirus samples around the UK. The consortium is a partnership of the UK’s four public health agencies, as well as the Wellcome Sanger Institute and 12 academic institutions.
Is it found only in the UK?
While the variant is found across UK, it is heavily concentrated in London and South East England.
BBC, quoting data from Nextstrain, has reported that viral samples around the world suggest that cases in Denmark, Netherlands, and Australia have come from the UK.
Has a mutation happened before?
The COVID-19 virus originated in Wuhan in November 2019 and the strain of he virus found in different corners of the world, will be different.
Will vaccines work against this variant?
Yes, they do – at least as of now.
The new variant has mutations to the spike protein that the three leading vaccines are targeting.
haron Peacock, director of COG-UK, told the Science Media Centre briefing:
“With this variant, there is no evidence that it will evade the vaccination or a human immune response. But if there is an instance of vaccine failure or reinfection then that case should be treated as high priority for genetic sequencing.”
